Forbidden
by Nightsongx
Summary: Moonpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice, has fallen deeply in love with a RiverClan apprentice named Mintpaw. They secretly meet every night, but that eventually leads to trouble. Find out about the struggles Moonpaw goes through and the heart-breaking decisions she must make. Will she chose love over clan loyalty? Takes place in Midnight. Rated T for romance and minor violence.
1. Meeting in Secret

Forbidden

Moonpaw lay still in the apprentice den, restless and anxious. She strained her ears to hear if anyone was awake, but all she could hear was the steady breathing of her friends, Squirrelpaw, Spiderpaw, Shrewpaw, and Whitepaw. She breathed a sigh of relief and quietly stood up. She gently shook the moss from her pelt and tiptoed out of the den. Glancing around cautiously, she took a small step forward. The camp was silent. She quickly and quietly stalked out through the gap in the brambles and into the forest. She breathed in the welcoming scents surrounding her. She scented a faint trace of mouse, but hunting would have to wait. She had more important things. She padded silently through the dark forest, pausing every few steps the check that nobody was around. As she finally approached RiverClan territory, she stopped and looked around.

"Mintpaw?" she whispered hoarsely. "Are you there?"

"Moonpaw?"

She heard his soft voice whisper, and she nearly cried out in relief.

"I was beginning to think you'd never come!"

Mintpaw stalked out of the bushes, careful not to make any noise. She felt herself grow warm with embarrassment; she knew she shouldn't be here, but she had to see him!

"Sorry, I had to make sure nobody was following me."

"It's fine, I was only joking!" He let out a soft _mrrow_ of laughter.

Moonpaw sighed and sat down next to him. She snuggled up against his warm fur and buried her muzzle in his pelt. "I'm so glad to see you, Mintpaw!"

"As am I." He sighed deeply. "But…"

"Yes?" Moonpaw asked quickly. She was concerned with the sudden sadness in his voice.

"I'm worried, Moonpaw. It just doesn't feel right, you know, meeting here with you. I mean, I love you, I _truly_ do, it's just…" he broke off awkwardly.

"I know, you're breaking the warrior code and you feel disloyal. I do to, and it makes me feel awful. But I just can't bear to be without you, Mintpaw. I love you!" she looked down at her paws.

"Hey, it's okay!" he nuzzled her. "Hey, you know Graystripe, right?"

"Yes, he's our deputy…" she looked up at him.

"He used to meet with Silverstream, Crookedstar's daughter. And it was because he loved her." He said comfortingly.

"And look how that ended…she died."

"Ah…yes…" He looked at a loss for words for once, and he glanced away awkwardly.

"Well, the gathering is soon, I'm pretty sure I'll be going. Will you?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"I don't see why not."

"Then we'll meet there. But try not to act to suspicious."

"I won't." She promised as he stood up.

"I have to go now, I've got training in the morning. See you later!" He meowed, and raced off towards the river bank.

Moonpaw sighed nervously as she watched him go. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	2. Memories

** Here it is, the next chapter, FINALLY! Thank you everyone for all the lovely reviews, I'm so glad you're all enjoyed it! I finally found the time to write some more, I'm so sorry for the long wait. In this chapter, we find Moonpaw and Mintpaw together at the gathering, and also we get a peek into Moonpaw's past as she first meets Mintpaw. Enjoy!**

With the flick of their leader's tail, the ThunderClan cats poured into the clearing around Fourtrees and padded up to old friends from rival clans. Moonpaw craned her neck above the crowd of cats to look for Mintpaw, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Disappointed, she settled down next to Whitepaw and looked up expectantly at the leaders on the Great Rock. Suddenly, she felt someone sitting down next to her. She jumped up, her fur bristling, then instantly flattened it.

"Mintpaw!" She cried, then awkwardly looked at her paws, earning many confused glances from around.

"Shh, keep it down!" He whispered.

"Sorry!" Moonpaw whispered back, embarrassed at Whitepaw's questioning stare.

Ignoring her gaze, she looked back at Mintpaw.

"So…how are things?" He asked casually.

"Eh, OK...how about you?" She asked eagerly.

"Pretty good…" He trailed off mysteriously. "Oh look, the gathering is starting!" He remarked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

Moonpaw gave him one last disbelieving look, then lay down beside her friend and tucked her paws under her chest. She glanced up at her leaders, but she wasn't interested in what they had to say today. Instead, she leaned up against Mintpaw, but when he gave her a warning glance, she instantly sat up again.

"Sorry…I forgot…" She muttered.

The gathering seemed to stretch on endlessly, but Moonpaw wasn't listening. The four leader's words seemed like gibberish to her. She drifted away into thought, until finally the leaders leapt down from the Great Rock and started to call for the warriors.

Mintpaw stood up and glanced down at Moonpaw.

"When should we meet again?" He whispered, barely audible over the babble of cats saying their goodbyes.

"Tomorrow night, same place, same time?" She suggested, glancing around to make sure nobody was in earshot.

"Sounds good to me!" He replied, satisfied. He gave her ear a quick lick and padded off to join the RiverClan cats. Moonpaw watched him go. She felt an ache in her heart as she remembered that what she was doing was breaking the warrior code. A voice behind her made her jump.

"Moonpaw, are you awake? Firestar's calling us!" Whitepaw called.

"Er, yeah, coming!" Moonpaw jumped up and padded hurriedly over to join her clan.

"Who's that Mintpaw cat? You seem pretty interested in him." Whitepaw remarked.

"Oh, he's just a friend."

"You sure? I saw him licking your ear." Whitepaw pointed out.

Moonpaw felt herself grow hot with embarrassment.

"Like I said, just friends."

"Okay…" Whitepaw gave up, a glint of disbelief in her eyes.

"Are you two coming? It'll be sun-high before we get back at this rate!" Moonpaw heard Dustpelt's snide remark.

"We're coming!" Whitepaw shot back, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go!"

The two cats raced up the hill and joined the group of ThunderClan cats on the journey back to camp.

_**Moonpaw opened her mouth the scent the land around her. She had wanted some fresh air and had decided to go hunt near Sunningrocks. In the warm sun of Greenleaf prey would most likely be out warming themselves on the rocks. Finally spotting the gray boulders, she slowly walked around until she caught sight of a plump looking starling. Moonpaw dropped into the hunting crouch and stealthily crept forward until she was barely a fox-length away.**_

_** As she was about to spring, she stepped onto a twig with a loud snap. Hearing the noise, the bird flew away onto a branch hanging over the river with an alarming call.**_

_** "Mouse-dung!" she cursed aloud, frustrated with her mistake.**_

_** Not wanting to be deceived by a bird of all creatures, she began to creep towards the tree that the starling was perching on. She unsheathed her claws and began to climb up the tree, digging her claws into the bark. Once she reached the branch, she silently padded forward, careful to stay hidden behind the thick oak leaves. With the bird still in sight, she prepared the leap again, when suddenly the wind picked up. The branch swayed violently and, alarmed, the starling flew off into the sky.**_

_** "Not again-" Moonpaw moaned, but was cut off by another fierce gust of wind.**_

_**This time Moonpaw lost her footing and began to slip.**_

_** "NO!" She yowled, but it was too late. She was barely grabbing onto the branch, her lower body swinging dangerously over the rushing river. She tried to pull herself up onto the branch, but only managed to slip farther down the limb. Moonpaw dug her claws into the tree with all her might, but the wretched wind picked up again! The branch gave one last swing, and in horror Moonpaw slid off the branch and crashed into the icy water.**_

_** "HELP-" Her plea was cut off as she slipped beneath the surface, the current pushing her down the river. She tried to breathe but only managed to swallow a mouthful of cold water.**_

__**I'm going to drown! **_**Moonpaw thought in horror as she sunk towards the bottom of the river. She desperately tried to push herself towards the surface, but unlike RiverClan cats, she could not swim. Her vision became hazy and she nearly fell to unconsciousness, when suddenly she felt strong jaws grasp the scruff of her neck.**_

_** Whoever had grabbed her pulled her onto the bank of the river and fell down, panting.**_

_**Moonpaw gasped and choked as she spit out mouthfuls of river water. As she weakly looked up, she saw a sleek, silvery pelt and ice blue eyes looking down at her worriedly.**_

_** "Are you okay?!" The RiverClan tom questioned, sounding quite concerned about a cat from a rival clan.**_

_** "I-I'm fine!" Moonpaw rasped breathlessly. "Th-thank you!"**_

_** "No problem! I couldn't just watch a cat drown, even from ThunderClan!" The strange tom breathed a sigh of relief. "What were you doing anyways, out on the branch?"**_

_** "Hunting!" Moonpaw laughed. She abruptly stopped herself, though. "I-I'm sorry, I should get back to ThunderClan territory-"**_

_** "You're fine, relax. Do you need a medicine cat, or do you think you can make it back on your own? I can show you to the stepping stones." The tom suggested.**_

_** "That would be great, thanks!" She said, grateful that the tom was so concerned about her.**_

_** She stood up on shaky legs and followed him back towards the stones sticking out over the water.**_

_** "Are you sure you're fine?" He asked once more as they reached the rocks.**_

_** "Yes, I'm positive." Moonpaw found herself laughing again. "I'll be going now, I guess." She sighed, readying herself to jump to the first stone.**_

_** "I'm Mintpaw, by the way!" He called to her as she reached the second stone.**_

_** She turned back towards him and felt a smile form on her lips. "I'm Moonpaw."**_

_** Mintpaw nodded, and before she could say anything else, he raced through the reeds and was gone.**_

_** Moonpaw smiled once more and turned around to go back to camp.**_

__Moonpaw suddenly jolted awake from her memory, and looked up at Silverpelt.

It was brighter than ever.


	3. Hidden

Moonpaw sat patiently on the bank opposite of the RiverClan border, waiting for her love's familiar face to appear from behind the reeds. She was beginning to feel concerned, since it had taken him longer than usual to arrive. After an eternity of waiting, Mintpaw stalked out from the fronds with his head held high and slid elegantly into the river. Moonpaw stood up eagerly as she watched him swim across the water.

"Mintpaw!" She cried out joyfully as he pulled himself up onto the bank and shook the water droplets off of his pelt.

"It's Mint_pelt_ now!" He corrected her, practically bursting with pride as he gazed down at her.

"Well…_Mintpelt_…I-I don't what to say…" She responded, shocked. Moonpaw shook off her amazement and bounded forward to nuzzle him.

"Congratulations…" She murmured into his soft pelt. "I'm so proud of you!" She glanced up at him, her blue eyes glittering with pride.

"Thanks." Mintpelt nuzzled her back. "I'm sure you'll become a warrior soon, as well. After all, you've been an apprentice almost as long as me."

Moonpaw nodded. "I guess so." She suddenly stood up and turned away from Mintpelt with her head down.

"What's wrong?" He took a cautious step forward, surprised at the sudden turn in Moonpaw's attitude.

"I assume now that you're a warrior, you wouldn't want to waste your time with…me." She said softly. Moonpaw looked back around at Mintpelt, hurt in her eyes.

"And what makes you think that?" He meowed comfortingly, nuzzling her some more.

"Moonpaw, I swear, I will never _ever_ leave you, my beautiful Moonpaw. I love you so much…more than anything! Don't you ever worry, because I will be with you…_always_."

"Always?"

"Always."

"I'm sorry Mintpelt, I should have never doubted you. Of course you love me." Moonpaw smiled weakly back at him.

"Moonpaw, like I said, I shall always love you. We'll be together, no matter what!" He gazed down into her beautiful eyes, and licked her nose comfortingly. "Now, can I show you something?" Mintpelt stood up and strode towards a tall maple tree.

"You don't expect me to climb that, do you?" Moonpaw laughed, following him to the tree. "I thought you knew how I feel about climbing trees!"

"Of course I do! But this time, I'll help you. Come on!" He unsheathed his claws and started to pull himself up the side of the maple.

Moonpaw sighed and followed him to begin to ease herself up along the trunk beside him.

Mintpelt finally reached the very top branches of the tree and climbed out amongst a sturdy branch, holding his tail out for balance.

Moonpaw stayed reluctantly by the base of the branch, but he managed to coax her forward. "It's OK, there isn't a breath of wind tonight!" He smiled as she stepped out onto the branch.

"Now, look up…" He whispered into her ear.

Moonpaw slowly looked up and her breath caught in her throat. The sky was almost glowing, the moon casting rays of light which filtered between the branches. Silverpelt seemed to shine the brightest it had ever shined, the spirits of the warrior ancestors glowing beautifully.

"It's…it's…" Moonpaw stuttered breathlessly.

"I know, it's beautiful. I thought you'd like to see it from up high in the trees."

Moonpaw closed her eyes and let out a long, happy sigh. Then she straightened up and looked at Mintpelt.

"I was so worried StarClan would…would punish us, for meeting in secret like this. But…do you think this means they're okay with it?" She asked curiously.

"Moonpaw, I don't really think StarClan like that we're breaking the warrior code like this, but I do think they understand that we love each other very much."

Moonpaw opened her mouth to respond but was suddenly cut off by a loud rustling in the bushes below her. She almost cried out in alarm, but Mintpelt's tail shot out over her mouth to silence her. They both watched in shock as Whitepaw, Moonpaw's good friend, slid out from behind the bushes.

"Moonpaw, I know you're there!" She called out.

Moonpaw's breath caught in her throat. She looked at Mintpelt for help, but he was just as shocked as her. Moonpaw took a deep breath and began to ease herself down the tree until she was low enough to jump off and land neatly on her paws.

"What on earth were you doing up there?!" Whitepaw exclaimed as she caught sight of Moonpaw.

"I'd like to know myself, also!" The two she-cats whirled around as Squirrelpaw emerged from the bushes.

"How did you find us?!" Whitepaw demanded, her neck fur bristling.

"I followed you, Whitepaw, for you weren't very stealthy as you left camp." Squirrelpaw answered in an annoyingly arrogant tone.

Whitepaw spat in frustration.

"Well, what _are_ you doing out here so late?" Squirrelpaw inquired, impatient as if she had better things to do.

"None of your business, you annoying little piece of mouse-dung!" Whitepaw snarled, her voice like venom.

Moonpaw stood in the background, her mouth open in shock. _Whitepaw was never this feisty! And why is she working so hard to cover for me? _Moonpaw wondered.

"Do you want me to tell Firestar?" Squirrelpaw glared at Whitepaw.

"Why do you have to be so annoying? We were just out hunting, that's all!" Whitepaw responded.

"At this hour?"

"We wanted fresh air!"

"Fine!" Squirrelpaw gave up with a sigh. "But remember, next time you won't get off so easy!" She warned, whipped around, and raced back towards camp.

"That no good, annoying—"

"Easy Whitepaw!" Moonpaw laughed. "When did you get to be so grouchy?"

"How could I not be? She's such a brat! Ooh, I'm gonna tell Firestar!" Whitepaw mocked in a bad but hilarious imitation of Squirrelpaw.

"Why did you stick up for me?" Moonpaw glanced back up at her friend, smiling.

"Because we're friends, and that's what friends are for!" Whitepaw smiled back. "Come on, let's head back before someone else finds us!" She said as she began to pad forward.

Moonpaw took one step then looked up at the tree above her, searching the branches for Mintpelt. But no one was there.

"Coming?" Whitepaw turned around and asked.

"Of course!" Moonpaw gave the tree one last look then followed Whitepaw back towards the ThunderClan camp.

_** Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long to come out, but at least it's a little longer, right? Okay, I know this was a tad out of character for both Whitepaw and Squirrelpaw, but I really wanted them to have this little fight! Thanks for reading everyone, the next chapter will be out soon! Please review!**_


	4. Broken Promises

_** Hey guys! Here we are with the next chapter! I literally don't know what else to say, so I hope you enjoy the chapter!**_

"Moondust, Moondust!"

Moondust beamed with pride as the clan called out her new warrior name. She gazed around the clearing as everyone cheered and Silverleaf, her mentor, smiled warmly at her. She smiled back and sighed happily. Moondust wished that Mintpelt could be here with her, and she suddenly remember she wouldn't be able to see him tonight because of her vigil.

The clan began to disperse and head back to their dens, while Moondust sat down near the entrance of the camp. She gazed up at the sky and remember when Mintpelt had taken her into the tree to see the stars. But tonight, clouds blotched out the glitter of Silverpelt, and the night was dark. Moondust bit her tongue—_no, it isn't a sign!_ She thought. _Firestar himself told me I would make a great warrior! But…he doesn't know about… _Moondust straightened up and refused to think of what could happen to her if anyone found out. _I should talk to Whitepaw as soon as possible…_ She thought. _She wasn't even the least bit interested about what I was doing out in the middle of the night up in a tree. Unless…she already knows._

Moondust's thoughts got cut off as she noticed a flash of ginger pelt whip past her. She looked over just in time to see Squirrelpaw trotting away from Firestar quickly towards the apprentice den, her father glaring after her. _At least I don't have to share a den with her anymore!_ Moondust laughed silently. _But she did look quite upset…_

Moondust excitedly raced through the forest towards the RiverClan border, her mind whirling. She knew she should be sleeping, after all, she had had her vigil the other night and needed rest, but she just couldn't wait to tell Mintpelt that she had become a warrior! _He'll be so proud! _She thought happily. Even more exhilarated, Moondust surged faster and faster, her long, black legs carrying her forward. She leaped over a log gracefully and slid into the clearing where Mintpelt had told her to meet him and skidded to a stop. Mintpelt was already there, and he jolted around when she nearly crashed into him.

"Jeez, you scared me so bad!" He snorted. Mintpelt stood up and slowly walked towards her, but without the usual smile he wore on his face when he was around Moondust.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, concerned. He seemed a bit…off to her.

"Yeah, fine." He sighed. He looked up at Moondust with a blank look on his face.

"Well…I have great news!" Moondust said awkwardly, attempting to break the silence.

"I…I'm a warrior now! My name is Moondust!" She grinned.

"Wow, that's awesome!" He smiled, but Moondust thought it looked forced.

"So…is there anything you want to do?" Moondust asked quietly. "Or should we just go back?"

"Yeah, I guess so. There's nothing much to say." He responded. Moondust narrowed her eyes at Mintpelt. Mintpelt turned around to leave, but Moondust called after him.

"Want to meet here again later?"

Mintpelt flinched and turned around to face her, his eyes grim.

"We won't be meeting again, Moondust."

"Wh-what?" She stammered, shocked.

"I said we won't be meeting here anymore." Mintpelt replied harshly.

"But…but why?" Moondust looked up at Mintpelt, completely astounded at him. _I knew he was acting strange… _She thought coldly.

"Don't be such a fool, Moondust! Why do you think?!" He spat viciously at her.

"What is wrong with you Mintpelt?" She sniffled. "You said—"

"Who cares what I said!" He cut her off. "I can't keep doing this, Moondust! It's tearing me apart! I don't even know where my loyalty lies now…but I know it should be my clan."

"But—"

"Can't you realize what a close call we had last time? I just can't risk my place in the clan anymore…and if I keeping meeting you someone will find out eventually!" He sighed, shaking his head and refusing to meet her eyes.

"You said…you _promised_…"

Mintpelt whipped his head up and smacked Moondust hard in the face with his paw, causing her to sway.

"Well, I guess my promise has been broken." He snarled in her face. "Goodbye, Moondust." With that, Mintpelt whirled around and raced off towards the river.

"Mintpelt…MINTPELT!" Moondust shrieked, trying to take a step after him, but his slap had dizzied her and she collapsed on the ground. Thunder rumbled in the sky and a heavy rain began to fall, soaking her white fur. "Mintpelt…come back to me…" She whispered, her lip trembling. Realization crashed down on her like a tree falling on top of her. _Mintpelt is gone._ Moondust felt as if her heart had been shattered into a million pieces.

As the rain fell down ever harder, Moondust buried her face in her paws, sobbing. The only cat she had truly ever cared for was gone, her Mintpelt. Moondust looked up at the sky, rain pounding down on her face. "What did I ever do to deserve this?!" She wailed, challenging StarClan.

_And now he's gone…forever…_

_**Holy COW, that was depressing! Man, I'm sorry for that, but it had to happen eventually. Also, PLEASE REVIEW! I'm sorry it goes by so fast, I tried adding more details, but it doesn't seem to help. If you have any tips on that, please tell me! Next chapter coming soon!**_


	5. Nightmares

_** Hey everyone, I'm so sorry this took so long to come out! I was busy with school work, then unfortunately I caught a really bad cold, which could have possibly been the flu, so I was super sick and then I became busy with all of the holidays, so I barely had the time to write. But now things have calmed down a bit, so I found some time to work. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I'm going into some Mintpelt POV as requested.**_

_ That went well. _Mintpelt stalked back into camp, his fur bristling in frustration in the aftermath of his and Moondust's argument. Sure, he _had_ been a little harsh, but Moondust was just too naïve. Had she actually thought they could have kept on going like this? Mintpelt was starting to think she had. He unsheathed his claws and sunk them into the spongy earth.

"What are you doing up so late, attacking the dirt like that?"

Mintpelt jumped as Mistyfoot, RiverClan's deputy, sat down beside him, amusement glittering in her eyes.

"I noticed you leaving."

Mintpelt flinched but she added quickly, "Don't worry, I didn't follow you."

"It's none of your business." He grumbled, not meeting her eyes. Mintpelt shuffled his paws in the dirt, causing clouds of dust to rise and tickle his nose. He snorted in annoyance. Green-leaf had been harsh, it hadn't rained in a very long time and it was starting to affect the clan. Even he was a bit thinner than usual.

"I understand. I won't press you. We're all allowed to keep our secrets. But Mintpelt, just be careful. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do."

He hadn't meant to sound harsh, but he noticed her cringe slightly.

"Okay. Good night." She sighed, standing up and shaking the dust off of her pelt and giving it a few quick licks. "You may want to get some sleep, there's a good chance you'll be in one of the patrols in the morning."

He nodded curtly as Mistyfoot padded back towards the warrior den. But Mintpelt still remained on the edge of the camp, sulking. Now he realized he was starting to regret what he had done. He suddenly longed for Moondust's soft, white fur, her sweet, foresty scent, and her beautiful blue eyes. He missed the way she'd try to climb a tree, but fall over. And she wouldn't spit, curse, or complain, she'd just fall over laughing. He missed her little witty, sarcastic comments, or her adorable giggle. _Oh stop it._ He scolded himself. He should really take his mind off of Moondust and get some rest.

Mintpelt stood up and followed Mistyfoot back to the den. He found a good enough looking nest in the corner and curled up, sighing. It felt good to lie down and relax, he'd been through a lot of stress lately. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

_Mintpelt jolted awake, but he wasn't in his den. He was in some strange, dark place. There was a lot of mist, so he couldn't make out any shapes, just endless swirling. He shivered. _Am I dreaming?_ He thought worriedly. Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, he noticed the silhouette of a familiar cat, but he couldn't quite place it. The strange cat was running, running really fast towards him. He suddenly realized that it was Moondust. As his eyes focused, he noticed that she look terrified, no, absolutely _mortified_. Was she running from something? Or had she seen something? Mintpelt was getting more and more confused by the minute. But then she was gone, completely enveloped by the thick mist. Then the mist parted to reveal an absolutely horrifying sight. Terror coursed through him, swallowing him hold. He shivered and tried to run, but he tripped and fell, sliding through the sticky, red ground. The scent of blood was almost overwhelming and it covered his fur. He tried to shake it off, but it clung to his pelt like some nasty bur. He was stumbling, sliding, trying to escape from it all. But no matter where he ran, that same horrible image played over and over in his brain, the blood was everywhere, and the mist made it impossible to navigate._

Mintpelt awoke with such a start, he woke up many other cats around him.

"Hey, watch it!" Heavystep grumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"Sorry." Mintpelt was panting so hard, he could barely speak. All he could smell was blood, and all he saw was that same, horrible thing… "I-I need some fresh air." He stuttered, he needed an excuse to get out and think. Without another word, he pushed the concerned looking cats away to get out of the den and race towards the river. He splashed into the muddy water, trying to remove all the traces of blood, but the sticky feeling remained. Mintpelt grunted in frustration, rolling frantically, but the river was exceptionally low, and the scent remained. He got up, groaned, and collapsed onto the bank, his fur caked with mud. He then realized how much he missed Moondust. He wanted to see her, to lay next to her, for her to comfort him. But he knew that was out of the question. Mintpelt closed his eyes and lay for a while, panting. _What did this dream mean? That's all it is…a dream…right? It couldn't have been…a prophecy? NO!_ He shook his head. He was absolutely terrified by the nightmare, and if it _was_ a prophecy…then Mintpelt was doomed.

* * *

><p>Moondust rolled over in her nest for about the fifth time that night. She hadn't slept in days, and it was starting to take its toll on her. She was becoming very clumsy and not catching much during hunting, and she had almost walked right across the RiverClan border by accident one time during a patrol. Most cats thought she was just nervous and trying to prove herself as a young warrior, but she knew it wasn't that. No, she wanted <em>him.<em> It had only been a few days since Mintpelt had left her, but it felt like just yesterday. _"Well, I guess my promise has been broken_." His cruel snarl echoed in her mind. Moondust's eyes fluttered open. _I guess there's no point in trying to sleep._ She sighed, standing up. She padded out of the opening in the den and towards the medicine cat den. Maybe talking would help. Moondust came hesitantly into the den, and was surprised to find Leafpaw organizing the herbs. Leafpaw glanced around when Moondust entered, but she didn't seem shocked at all. She smiled warmly up at the young warrior.

"Is everything okay, Moondust? I heard you'd been having a bit of…er…trouble lately." She said slowly, as if she was choosing her words carefully, not wanting to hurt or offend Moondust.

But Moondust just sighed and sat down.

"No, I'm not okay. I've been losing sleep lately…and it's really affecting me…do you have any herbs…or anything?"

Leafpaw looked troubled for a moment, but her look of concern faded and was replaced by sympathy. "No, I unfortunately don't have any herbs that help with sleep, but you could always just lie down in here. Some cats sleep better in the medicine cat den because they feel it's a little closer to StarClan, which comforts them."

"Thanks." Moondust said gratefully, curling up into the soft nest lined with moss. "But I'm not sure it'll help much…"

Leafpaw gave her another look of concern. "You want to tell me what's bothering you?" She ventured, but then paused, worried she had crossed a line.

Moondust met Leafpaw's curious gaze. But she soon looked down, unable to respond. "Not…really…I mean I _want_ to tell someone…but, I just _can't._" Moondust replied firmly, but her voice was choked with emotion. Her eyes rimmed with tears and she looked away, embarrassed.

Leafpaw frowned, and walked away, her tail dragging in the dirt.

Moondust suddenly became very exhausted, and she lay her head on her paws, sighing. She closed her eyes, and surprisingly, fell instantly into a deep sleep.

Moondust awoke in a strange and misty place. She couldn't see anything anywhere, just the cloudy nothingness. "Hello? Is anybody there?" She called out. No response. She took a step forward, and, realizing it was safe, began to walk around. Moondust was slightly unnerved at how…empty…the place was. There was something that was really bothering her, but she couldn't quite place it. She continued to amble around, chilled, but found absolutely nothing. Yes, that was it…the nothingness…it was very peculiar. Suddenly, she stumbled over something large and wet. Almost instantly, a huge, intense scent of death and blood crashed over her like a wave. Trembling, she looked at the large mass and let out a scream. Moondust tried to move, but she was frozen to the spot in her terror. She shook herself out of it and tried to run away, but she splashed into a puddle of blood…but it wasn't just a puddle…it was a whole _lake_. She was covered in so much of the scarlet liquid, her white fur stained red. She slipped and slid and tried to run out of the lake. She ran and ran, faster and faster, wanting to get rid of the horrible _thing_ she had seen. As she ran, she suddenly caught sight of a cat…Mintpelt! Moondust wanted to scream out to him, but she was so out of breath that she just kept running. But as she got closer, the mist swirled in front of her and she never reached him. She suddenly felt the ground fall out beneath her, and then she was falling, and knew nothing more…

Moondust jolted awake with a stifled shriek, and stood up, panting. She was still shaking, and all she could smell was blood. _What does this mean?_ She thought with a shiver.

Moondust exited the den and looked up at the sky. _What are you trying to tell me, StarClan?_

_** Ooooh, scaryyy! I wonder what both of them saw that was so, so terrifying… Wow, that was longer than expected! xD Well, I guess here's your Christmas present! Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed this creepy chapter, I know it's kind of boring, but those dreams mean something…and it's obviously not going to be good. Next chapter soon! Please review! xx**_


End file.
